Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Equal Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for reducing the mean average gender pay gap in his Department to (a) 10 per cent and (b) zero.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department is working to reduce its gender pay gap in support of the Government’s ambition to close the gender pay gap within a generation. An update on our gender pay gap will be published by the end of the year which will set out our plans in more detail.

M20: Accidents

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the accident figures on the M20 motorway between Junctions 8 and 9 for September and October (a) 2018 and (b) 2017 and (c) 2016.

Jesse Norman: There were 9 collisions on the M20 between Junction 8 and 9 (both directions) during September and October 2016. There were 6 collisions on the M20 between Junction 8 and 9 (both directions) during September and October 2017. No validated collisions data exists for 2018. This will be available in 2019.

Department for Transport: Brexit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees relating to the UK leaving the EU since July 2016.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Transport has spent a total of £54,282 on external consultancy work relating to the UK leaving the EU since July 2016.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Social Media

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much his Department has spent from the public purse on promoted content on (a) Twitter, (b) Facebook and (c) Instagram in each month since June 2017.

Richard Harrington: The attached table shows the amount spent by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on paid social media activity in support of Communication Campaigns. This includes the Shared Parental Leave Campaign, to promote take up of SPL among eligible parents, and the National Living and National Minimum Wage Campaign, to increase awareness of the increases in NLW/NMW and of the complaint’s procedure. It also supported awareness of the Green Great Britain Week, setting out how job opportunities would be created by the move to clean growth. The table is split for each of the following Social Media channels (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) and is shown per month from June 2017 until the end of October 2018. 



BEIS  - social media 
(Word Document, 14.59 KB)

Carbon Budgets: Climate Change

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2018 to Question 181237 on Carbon budgets: Climate change, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the fourth and fifth carbon budgets and place the UK on the steeper decarbonisation pathway recommended by the Committee on Climate Change.

Claire Perry: The UK was the first country to introduce long-term legally binding emission reduction targets through the Climate Change Act 10 years ago, and since then we have galvanised action and initiative across the UK and internationally, including helping secure the landmark Paris Agreement in 2015 and launching the Powering Past Coal Alliance. The fourth and fifth carbon budgets require ambitious emissions reductions equivalent to 51% and 57% over the periods 2023-27 and 2028-32 from a 1990 baseline, and we have some of the most stringent legislative targets in the world. Following the recent IPCC report, we commissioned advice from the Committee on Climate Change on our long-term targets. As noted by the CCC, this may include an update of their advice on the most cost-effective pathway for emission reduction. We will consider that advice carefully when it is received.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the gender balance percentage is of full-time permanent contract staff in his Department.

Sir Alan Duncan: At 31st March 2018, 43.4% of full time staff on a permanent contract are female.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Temporary Employment

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the gender balance percentage is of temporary contract staff in his Department.

Sir Alan Duncan: The FCO does not hold diversity data on temporary contract staff.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Females

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many women were employed by his Department in each year since 2000.

Sir Alan Duncan: Data for years 2000 - 2017:2017 - 42%, 2016 - 43.2%, 2015 - 42.8%. 2014 - 43%, 2013 - 43%, 2012 - 44%, 2011 - 44.1%, 2010 - record unavailable , 2009 - 41%, 2008 - 40.9% , 2007 - 40.1%, 2006 - 42.5%, 2005 - 41%, 2004 - 39.8% , 2003 - record unavailable , 2002 - record unavailable, 2001 - 37.7% , 2000 - record unavailable

UK relations with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government is seeking cooperation and coordination with the (a)EU and (b)other multilateral actors on its civilian-military humanitarian and peacekeeping missions in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: As set out in the Government’s ‘Foreign Policy, Defence and Development Future Partnership’ paper, the UK is unequivocally committed to European security and will continue to work closely with the EU on external security following exit from the Union. It is the UK’s intention to pursue a close partnership with the EU, including the possibility of the UK continuing to contribute to EU missions of mutual interest. Non-EU personnel in such missions remain under the full command of their national authorities. Our future participation in these missions will be subject to the Withdrawal Agreement negotiations. The UK remains committed to effective engagement in UN peacekeeping, where we have 325 contingent troops deployed as part of the UN Mission in South Sudan and 265 contingent troops deployed as part of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. We will continue to play an active role in UN peacekeeping missions following our exit from the EU.

Libya: Economic Situation

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to help rebuild the Libyan economy following that country’s civil war.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK is at the forefront of efforts to encourage key Libyan and international stakeholders to engage productively in an inclusive political process, led by the UN. A durable political settlement is essential to the sustainable development of the Libyan economy. In the meantime, we are using the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund to support Libyan financial institutions such as the Central Bank and Ministry of Finance to improve public financial management. We are also undertaking projects in Benghazi and Tripoli to help entrepreneurs access finance and promote private sector development. In June, the Prime Minister appointed a dedicated Trade Envoy to Libya. When political and security conditions allow, we will step up our assistance with stabilisation and economic development in Libya, taking account of Libya's ability to fund its needs.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths on a new UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK is discussing with UN Security Council partners what more the Council can do to address the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and step up support for the work of the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths. The Foreign Secretary discussed this step with the UN Special Envoy on 30 October and they agreed that the time was right for the Council to act to bolster the UN led process. There is a small but real chance that a cessation of hostilities could alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people. This must be the first priority as we seek to put in place a longer term solution.

Overseas Aid

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to allocate unused money from the Integrated Activity Fund.

Alistair Burt: The Integrated Activity Fund is intended to be both flexible and responsive, able to support Her Majesty's Government (HMG's) needs in the Gulf Region in the achievement of regional strategic objectives. In the event that there is likely to be unused money at the end of the financial year it will, with the agreement of Her Majesty's Treasury, be used to support HMG strategic objectives elsewhere.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Brexit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees relating to the UK leaving the EU since July 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: This information is not held centrally and to compile it would incur disproportionate cost. The FCO's expenditure on professional services and consultancy will be published in the annual report and accounts. Contracts awarded over £10,000 are reported on Contracts Finder.

Khalida Jarrar

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the political activist Khalida Jarrar.

Alistair Burt: We have not raised the case of Ms Khalida Jarrar with the Israeli authorities. We remain concerned about Israel’s extensive use of administrative detention. According to international law, this should be used only when security makes it absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice, and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and either charge or release detainees.

Poland: Sovereignty

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who will represent Her Majesty's Government at the celebration of 100 years of independence for Poland on the 11 November 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan: Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Poland will attend the celebration in Warsaw on 11 November to mark 100 years of Poland regaining independence.

Turkey: Public Sector

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) progress and (b) fairness of appeals against the dismissal by public sector employees in Turkey since July 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: The State of Emergency Commission has reviewed almost 40,000 of some 125,000 applications for job reinstatements. We are aware of the concerns raised in Amnesty International's recent report about the speed and effectiveness of the appeals process. We have called on the Turkish authorities to ensure it works quickly and effectively and will continue to follow the issue closely.

Turkey: Mayors

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on (a) the removal from office of directly-elected mayors in that country and (b) the recent statement by President Erdogan suggesting that successful mayoral candidates in Kurdish-majority areas may also be removed following local elections.

Sir Alan Duncan: We have urged and will continue to urge free, fair and inclusive local elections, due to take place in March 2019. If elected representatives are accused of a crime, it is important that the legal process against them meets the highest standards. The conduct of local elections is primarily a matter for Turkey.

Palestinians: Recognition of States

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what preconditions his Department has set for the UK to recognise the State of Palestine.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK will recognise a Palestinian state at a time when it best serves the objective of peace. The UK continues to support efforts towards peace. We are clear that we want to see the creation of a sovereign, independent, contiguous, and viable Palestinian state - living in peace and security, side by side with Israel. Bilateral recognition in itself cannot end the occupation; without a negotiated settlement the occupation and the problems that come with it will continue.

Gaza: Visits Abroad

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on facilitating visits to Gaza for hon. Members.

Alistair Burt: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against all travel to Gaza. Entry to, and exit from, Gaza can be very difficult. Permission to access Gaza is granted by either the Israeli or Egyptian authorities. Any specific request from Members of Parliament for assistance from the Government would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Palestinians: Peace Negotiations

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on the proposal for the  Palestinian reconciliation process to be overseen by the Egyptian Government.

Alistair Burt: ​On 14 October, I discussed the Middle East Peace Process, including reconciliation efforts, with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, in Cairo. The UK is supportive of Egyptian efforts to facilitate the return of the legitimate Palestinian Authority to Gaza.

Israel: Palestinians

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage the resumption of substantive negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Alistair Burt: ​​At this highly sensitive time in the region, there is an urgent need to restart the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. We regularly press both parties to resume direct negotiations towards a two-state solution. I discussed the issue of the Middle East Peace Process with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 11 October. We continue to encourage the US Administration to bring forward detailed proposals for a viable peace agreement that addresses the legitimate concerns of both parties.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has plans to convene a summit of European and Arab foreign ministers with the US Administration to discuss the red lines for that country’s Middle East peace plan.

Alistair Burt: ​We have no plans to convene a summit to discuss the Middle East Peace Process. We continue to encourage the US Administration to bring forward detailed proposals for a viable Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement that addresses the legitimate concerns of both parties. We are also in conversation with likeminded European and Arab states about the best way to advance prospects for peace.

Israel: Palestinians

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Israeli government on the proposed implementation of Military Order 1797 to (a) accelerate the process of demolitions within the Occupied Palestinian Territories and (b) prevent third-party legal challenges against those demolitions.

Alistair Burt: ​Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised this specific Military Order with the Israeli authorities from the Ministry of Justice in May. The Government has repeatedly made clear to the Israeli authorities our serious concern at the increase in demolitions of Palestinian properties in Area C of the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. In all but the most exceptional circumstances, demolitions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and is harmful to the peace process. We call on the Israeli authorities to cease the policy of demolitions and provide a transparent route to construction for Palestinians in Area C.

Syria: Chemical Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the timeframe for the publication of the final report of  the Office for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons into the reported chemical weapons attack on Douma in April 2018.

Alistair Burt: The final report of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Fact-finding Mission will be available when its investigations are completed. The timeframe for this is not yet certain. The most recent note from the Director General of the OPCW to the UN Security Council on Syrian chemical weapons, dated 23 October, stated that the Fact-finding Mission “continues to collect and analyse information with regard to the alleged use of toxic chemicals as a weapon in Douma and will provide a final report on its findings in due course.” We look forward to seeing the full conclusions.​

Ukraine: Cybercrime

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support on cyber-threats the Government is providing to the government of Ukraine in advance of that countries elections in 2019.

Sir Alan Duncan: Ukraine faces a severe and ongoing cyber security threat from cyber criminals, hacktivists and hostile state actors, including Russia. The UK is a key cyber partner for Ukraine and we are committed to supporting Ukraine against cyber-threats in advance of elections next year. Through the Good Governance Fund, HMG funds a cyber-security programme with the Central Election Commission (CEC) and wider electoral community. The programme includes expert training for IT staff and other specialists, a cyber-hygiene course focusing on user-end vulnerabilities, and strengthened coordination between the CEC, security services of Ukraine, and international community. Following Ukraine's recent renewal of the CEC's leadership, discussions are underway on the provision of further capacity building and technical assistance. HMG is also building the strategic communications capability of the government of Ukraine by co-running a campaign to protect Ukrainian public servants, businesses and citizens online.

Tunisia: Civil Liberties and Equality

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Tunisia on the implementation by that country of the recommendations of its Commission on Liberties and Equality.

Alistair Burt: The report of the Committee for Individual Liberties and Equality was released in June. It is a major contribution to the debate on rights and freedoms in Tunisia as it undergoes its democratic transition. It is for the Tunisian Government to decide how best to implement the recommendations of the report. The Minister for the Commonwealth and UN met the Head of the Committee in Tunis in July, and our Embassy engages regularly with the Tunisian Government on human rights, including on its commitments under international agreements.

Tunisia: Islamic State

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the government of Tunisia on the threat posed by the return of Tunisian Daesh fighters to that country; and what plans he has to support that Government in tackling that threat.

Alistair Burt: Earlier this week I had a productive meeting with the Tunisian Interior Minister, in which we discussed returning fighters, a challenge in many countries. The UK's approach to tackling returning fighters encourages capacity-building with upstream countries, building on UN Security Council Resolution 2396. We have a broad programme of security co-operation with Tunisia. We are also working with Global Coalition, European, and regional partners to ensure information and evidence of terrorism is shared where possible, and that affected countries work together to minimise the collective risk to our security.

Cabinet Office

National Cyber Security Centre: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many communications specialists are employed at the National Cyber Security Centre; and what the total salary cost of those specialists is.

Mr David Lidington: Around a third of the approximately 850 people currently employed by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have outward-facing advisory roles, as part of the NCSC’s remit to provide expert, trusted guidance to help protect all sectors of the economy and members of the public. This includes around 25 communications specialists, who work in partnership with other communications specialists across government and the private sector. For reasons of National Security, we are unable to provide further breakdown of staff numbers and costs.

Cabinet Office: Brexit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees relating to the UK leaving the EU since July 2016.

Mr David Lidington: Cabinet Office publishes spend over £25,000 on a monthly basis as part of its transparency data routine publication which is accessible here.

Ministry of Justice

Coroners: Legal Representation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of his Department's annual spend on legal representation for prisons and probation staff at inquests on deaths in prison in each of the last five years.

Rory Stewart: The sums spent on legal representation for Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) at inquests into deaths in prison custody in each of the last five calendar years are set out below.2013£2,826,566.022014£2,734,183.672015£2,874,906.172016£3,591,634.262017£4,198,893.32 These are the costs of representation for both HMPPS and its staff. In the vast majority of cases the legal representatives are acting for both the agency and all members of its staff called as witnesses, and the respective costs cannot therefore be separated. In a very small number of cases separate representation is provided for one or more members of staff. These costs relate to the representation provided for public-sector prisons and their staff, and, since its creation in April 2014, the National Probation Service and its staff. The costs of representation for contracted prisons and their staff are met by the provider. Before April 2014 each Probation Trust met its own representation costs, and since then each Community Rehabilitation Company has done likewise.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many successful (a) fines and (b) prosecutions have been made as a result of evidence obtained from ANPR cameras in each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

High Rise Flats: Insulation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of privately owned tower blocks which have dangerous cladding.

James Brokenshire: The Government’s priority is to ensure that residents of high-rise (above 18 metres) buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems are, and feel, safe. We work closely with local authorities and fire and rescue services to ensure that interim safety measures are in place to ensure residents are safe for any buildings which have been identified as having potentially dangerous ACM cladding systems. Officials continue to engage with developers, building owners and managing agents with responsibility for buildings with unsafe ACM cladding systems to ensure that they are fully remediated as quickly as possible. We have written to all relevant private sector building owners reminding them of their responsibilities towards making their buildings safe, including reminding them that local authorities have powers to enforce these improvements if building owners do not take action.A ministerially-chaired taskforce is overseeing the remediation of private sector buildings with unsafe ACM cladding systems and a joint expert inspection team will support local authorities in ensuring and, where necessary, enforcing remediation of private sector high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding systems. To support the work of the inspection team, Government has made further funding available up to £1 million.

Buildings: Insulation

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the level of fire risk posed in cases of combustible cladding is used on (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) care homes.

Kit Malthouse: The remediation programme underway since the Grenfell Tower tragedy is dealing with Aluminium Composite Materials cladding systems which are unsafe. We expect building owners to be systematically reviewing the safety of their buildings as a matter of course. All buildings covered under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which include schools, hospitals, and residential care premises, must have their fire risk assessment regularly reviewed so as to keep it up to date.Schools are very safe environments in this regard as they are typically occupied during the daytime and have multiple exit routes. In addition, all schools must comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, including having an up-to-date Fire Risk Assessment and conducting regular fire drills.NHS trusts are locally responsible for their fire safety, and take it very seriously. Fire safety guidance specific to the NHS, Firecode, is provided to support them in doing this. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, NHS organisations must, as far as is reasonably practical, make sure that everyone on the premises, or nearby, can escape safely if there is a fire. They will therefore consider the ban on combustible cladding as part of the regular fire risk assessments they carry out on their existing estate.

Buildings: Insulation

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2018 to Question 164527 on Buildings: Insulation, whether the Government plans to ban the use of combustible materials on (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) care homes.

Kit Malthouse: The Government consulted on applying the ban to residential buildings with a top storey more than 18 metres above ground level, in line with current Building Regulations guidance. The ban will also apply to the external walls of new hospitals, residential care premises, student accommodation and residential accommodation in schools for those buildings which have a top storey more than 18 metres above ground level.

Devolution: Yorkshire and the Humber

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to secure progress for a One Yorkshire devolution deal.

Jake Berry: Whilst we are considering the material 18 councils and the Sheffield City Region Mayor submitted to us about a One Yorkshire proposal, our priority remains the full implementation of the Sheffield City Region. The Mayor was elected on a commitment to implement this deal in full, and we will support him in this ambition.

Sleeping Rough

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of rough sleepers in (a) towns and cities with a population above 150,000 and (b) towns and cities with a population of under 150,000 in each of the last seven years.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Rough sleeping statistics for England are published at local authority level and are not based on population size. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government publishes this information annually and the latest statistics for autumn 2017 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/rough-sleeping-in-england-autumn-2017.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Contracts

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what deductions from profit margins are permissible under MOD contracts; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure that there are no costs to the public purse from failed bids and other business related costs.

Stuart Andrew: Holding answer received on 07 November 2018



When placing contracts through a competitive procurement process the Ministry of Defence (MOD) relies on competitive pressures to restrict profit margins to market rates. Such market pressure is absent in non-competitive contracting where the MOD relies instead upon the protections offered by Part 2 of the Defence Reform Act 2014 (DRA) and the Single Source Contract Regulations 2014 (SSCR).Under the DRA and SSCR the MOD can make deductions to the profit margin earned on a Qualifying Defence Contract or Qualifying Subcontract, where that profit margin exceeds levels set out in the legislation.In both competitive and single source contracting, the MOD can negotiate with a contractor Key Performance Incentives and Liquidated Damage provisions. These will have the effect of reducing payments, and hence profit margins, when performance is not to the agreed level.MOD policy is not to pay suppliers for the costs of their failed bids. In a non-competitive procurement the MOD may consider payment of bid costs if it is the MOD that stops the tender process, at no fault of the supplier.The MOD will have regard to the Single Source Regulations Office 'Statutory Guidance on Allowable Costs', when considering what if any business-related costs it is appropriate for the Department to accept into contract prices.

Ministry of Defence: Brexit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees relating to the UK leaving the EU since July 2016.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence publishes spend over £25,000 on a monthly basis as part of its transparency data routine publication which is accessible at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/751545/Annex_B_Expenditure_over_25000_30-09-2018

Mohammed Nabi Wardak

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will reassess the case of Afghan interpreter Mohammed Nabi Wardak who translated for British armed forces on the front line in Helmand province between 2008 and 2011 and has been denied relocation to the UK.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence is unable to comment on specific cases. The Government recognises the vital role local staff played in operations in Afghanistan. Over 440 former staff who were made redundant after working for 12 months on the front line with our soldiers in Helmand are currently entitled to apply for visas to relocate with their immediate families to the UK; 1,255 staff and immediate family are now settled in the UK, including a number who were discharged with life-changing injuries; a small number remain to be relocated over the next few months.More widely, we are the only nation with an expert team based in Kabul to investigate the concerns of former staff who are threatened because of their work with the UK. Any former staff who experience intimidation within Afghanistan because of their employment with the UK are strongly encouraged to contact the Intimidation Investigation Unit based in Kabul. Where employment-related intimidation is found, we will take steps to address the risk including security advice, relocation in country where this is needed, and relocation to UK where other measures will not resolve the risk.Former staff who wish to claim asylum are subject to Home Office immigration policies.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment: Cancer

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with (a) leukaemia, (b) myeloma, (c) hodgkin’s lymphoma and (d) non-hodgkin’s lymphoma have successfully appealed against a decision not to award personal independence payment.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with (a) leukaemia, (b) myeloma, (c) Hodgkin's lymphoma and (d) non-Hodgkin's lymphoma have successfully appealed against a decision not to award personal independence payment.

Sarah Newton: Since Personal Independence Payment (PIP) was introduced up to June 2018, there have been:(a) 60 successful appeals against a decision not to award PIP by people with a primary disabling condition of leukaemia,(b) 30 successful appeals against a decision not to award PIP by people with a primary disabling condition of myeloma,(c) 20 successful appeals against a decision not to award PIP by people with a primary disabling condition of Hodgkin’s lymphoma and(d) 40 successful appeals against a decision not to award PIP by people with a primary disabling condition of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  Data has been rounded to the nearest 10. Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer systems. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics. The appeals may include decisions which are changed at mandatory reconsideration, and where the claimant continues to appeal for a higher PIP award, are then changed again at tribunal appeal.

Occupational Pensions

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2018 Question 177666 on Occupational Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure members of the public are aware of the IORP2 Directive on occupational retirement savings.

Guy Opperman: The key elements of IORP II – for example, rules around scheme funding and supervision of schemes - are already required within UK law and the Pensions Regulator’s Codes of Practice. As such, appropriate communications about these measures are already in place. The DWP has worked closely with the Pensions Regulator to develop communications about the new requirements introduced by IORP II. Information about this has been shared with industry stakeholders to communicate to individual pension schemes. The Pensions Regulator is currently considering the most appropriate format and content of communications about IORP II to release to other audiences.

Work and Health Programme: Autism

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department have taken to record the employment outcomes of the Health and Work Programme for autistic people.

Sarah Newton: Individuals with Autistic Spectrum Conditions may request that specific referral opportunities are used for their referral to the Work and Health Programme (WHP), to allow providers to recognise their support requirements, which also record any employment outcome. WHP providers are required to record in any participants Action Plan any complex needs/ additional support requirements they have been notified of, or identify themselves as part of their support. Providers have an opportunity to track employment outcomes for this customer group.

Employment: Autism

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking (a) to measure the employment rate among autistic people and (b) to record autism in the Labour Force Survey.

Sarah Newton: Department for Work and Pensions officials have been considering how to robustly measure the employment rate among autistic people, including whether it might be possible to collect this information through the Labour Force Survey. Recent Labour Force Survey estimates of employment among disabled people published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are currently subject to health warnings, while ONS investigate an unexpected increase in the number of people reporting disabilities from July-September 2017. We are awaiting further advice from ONS, following the conclusion of their investigations. We will further consider how best to collect information on employment among autistic people in the light of that advice.

Pensions: Consumer Information

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to consult on proposals for mandatory participation in pensions dashboards by pension providers.

Guy Opperman: As set out in the Autumn Budget, The DWP will consult on the detailed design for pensions dashboards, and on how an industry-led approach could harness innovation while protecting consumers. As part of the consultation, due to be published shortly, the DWP will explore how to maximise the participation of pension schemes.

Universal Credit: Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) how many and (b)what proportion of her Department's Answers to Written Parliamentary Questions on universal credit stated that the requested information was (a) not collected and (b) not collected centrally in each of the last three years.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 06 November 2018



This information is publically available on the parliamentary website: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/ A search conducted on the website for the time period 6 November 2015 to 6 November 2018 for answered written questions about Universal Credit that contain the search terms “not collected” or “not collated centrally” returns 29 results, where the answer was either wholly or partially given as either of those terms. This is less than 1.5% of all Parliamentary Questions relating to Universal Credit answered in that time period.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Motor Vehicles and Technology: Exhaust Emissions

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps in conjunction with local authorities to ensure standards of air quality are adhered to in vehicle and technology manufacturing and distribution.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Within Government, The Department for Transport has responsibility regarding emissions standards in vehicle and technology manufacturing and distribution. Defra and the Department for Transport work together through the Joint Air Quality Unit to support local authorities to help deliver the Government’s Air Quality plan on roadside concentration of nitrogen oxides.

Environment Protection: Brazil

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of reported environmental policy plans of the President-Elect of Brazil on (a) the environment in that country and (b) global climate change targets.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK and Brazil have a close dialogue on issues of mutual interest and concern, both bilaterally and globally, including on climate and the environment. We are aware of a number of proposals reported during the recent election period. The new Brazilian President takes office on 1 January 2019. It is for the Government of the day to formulate its own policies and it would be inappropriate to speculate at this stage on the decisions that the new Government may make. Climate and environment issues form an important part of our work with Brazil and we look forward to continuing our dialogue on these.

Litter

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce littering in communities across the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We published the Litter Strategy for England in April 2017, setting out our aim to clean up the country and deliver a substantial reduction in litter and littering within a generation.We have launched the Litter Innovation Fund to support councils and communities in the development and evaluation of innovative approaches to tackling litter. From April 2018, we have also increased the maximum fixed penalty for littering and given councils in England new powers to tackle littering from vehicles.The first annual report on our progress delivering the actions set out in the Litter Strategy was published in July this year, and we will continue to report annually on our progress for the rest of this Parliament.

Home Office

Social Security Benefits: Asylum

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the time taken for decisions to be made on asylum seekers claims before being eligible to find employment.

Caroline Nokes: The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it and this Government is committed to delivering a fair and humane asylum system.Whilst the Government has not made such an estimate, our current policy is consistent with EU law and permits asylum seekers to work, in jobs on the Shortage Occupation List, if they have been waiting for a decision on their claim for 12 months or more and the delay is through no fault of their own. We are tackling delays in decision-making and have plans in place to improve the speed at which outstanding claims are decided.If an asylum seeker would otherwise be destitute they are provided with free accommodation and a cash allowance of £37.75 per week to cover their other essential living needs.It is important to focus on providing support for those who are recognised as refugees, to help them to integrate and find employment, so that they can rebuild their lives here.

Forensic Science

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he made an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the standard for accreditation for police forensics laboratories; and if he will make a statement.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the proportion of police laboratories that have achieved accreditation for forensics.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government is committed to ensuring that appropriate quality standards are met across the system and supports the Forensic Science Regulator’s call for police forces to achieve accreditation for a range of forensic techniques.The National Police Chief’s Council makes regular assessments of police laboratories that have achieved accreditation and will be keeping the Department informed as this work progresses. In addition, in her latest annual report, published on 19 January 2018, the Forensic Science Regulator set out her view of the national picture for accreditation. The report can be accessed through the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/forensic-science-regulator-annual-report-2017

Police: First Aid

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to support the availability of bleed control kits for police response units.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government recognises the value of bleed control kits as part of the response to violent incidents, including knife crime. Earlier this year, I wrote to Police and Crime Commissioners, Metropolitan Mayors, the Association of Town Centre Management, and a number of other organisations involved in the night-time economy, to ask them to consider how these might be made more freely available in public places in their local areas.I have also raised the issue with Ministerial colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Health and Social Care.

Visas

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there is a prescribed test for determining whether an application is deemed to be complex and therefore falls outside Home Office service standards.

Caroline Nokes: There is no prescribed test for when a case is deemed to be complex.Each case is dealt with on its own merits and while reviewing an application a trained caseworker will make an assessment of whether the particular circumstances of that application would deem it to be classed as complex. If a case is classed as complex we will write to the customer explaining why.

British Nationality

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many UK citizens renounced their citizenship in each year since 2012.

Caroline Nokes: Statistics of the number of British citizens renouncing their British citizenship are not routinely published separately but are included in total figures for renunciations of British nationality, which include other forms of British nationality such as British National (Overseas). The available published information of grants and refusals of renunciation of British nationality is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Citizenship table cz_10, the latest edition of which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2018/list-of-tables#citizenship

Immigrants: Detainees

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he has made an assessment of the implications for his Department’s policies of the recommendations contained in the Independent Monitoring Board's Charter Flights Annual Report of (a) 2016 and (b) 2017.

Caroline Nokes: Independent scrutiny is a vital part of assurance that our charter operations are safe, secure and humane.We accepted or partially accepted 16 of the 19 recommendations to the Home Office and our escorting contractor in the 2017 report. We continue to work closely with the Independent Monitoring Boards to assess their ongoing recommendations. As a result of that relationship, the Home Office has introduced new measures to further support returnees on charter flight operations.The Immigration Minister responded to the Team Leader of the Charter Flight Monitoring Team in June 2018 in respect of the 2016 and 2017 IMB reports.

Radicalism: Social Media

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information his Department holds on the number of pieces of violent extremist content aligned to the extreme right that were taken down from social media platforms in the latest year for which data is available.

Mr Ben Wallace: This Government has been clear there should be no safe space online for terrorists and their supporters to radicalise, recruit, incite, or inspire. The dedicated police Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) refers content that they assess as contravening UK terrorism legislation to industry. To date, the CTIRU have secured the removal of over 300,000 pieces of terrorist content, including right wing terrorist content.We are also working closely with industry, including through the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, to encourage them to develop innovative solutions to tackle terrorist use of the internet. Social media platforms regularly publish transparency reports, which outline their continuing efforts to remove and restrict access to harmful content on their platforms. While these publications do not distinguish between content produced by different terrorist groups, we continue to seek further detail on the breakdown of content in future reports.

UK Border Force: Finance

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional funding has been allocated to the Border Force at UK airports to ensure it is adequately funded after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: BF received £91.7m ring-fenced funds from HM Treasury in 2018-19 to prepare for EU Exit. BF’s 2019-20 allocation for EU Exit is expected to be confirmed by HM Treasury before the start of the 2019-20 financial year.

Law Enforcement Data Service

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the new Law Enforcement Data Service on the prospects for securing a data adequacy agreement when the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Law Enforcement Data Service is being designed in line with the UK's Data Protection Act 2018.The Act already meets, and in a number of areas exceeds, European data protection standards, which we believe will put us in a good position for negotiations with the EU on continued data flows after the UK leaves the EU.

Crime

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the decrease in charge and summons rates for crimes.

Mr Nick Hurd: The likelihood of a crime resulting in a charge and summons can vary for several reasons. Improved crime recording by the police has resulted in increased caseloads and a changing crime mix. These include more complex crimes which take longer to receive an outcome, such as domestic abuse or sexual offences.The Government recognises the impact that crime can have on its victims and we want offenders charged and brought to justice in the courts. It is the responsibility of Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to make sure criminal cases are investigated properly and together with the Crown Prosecution Service, ensure cases are charged where there is sufficient evidence, and it is in the public interest to do so.

Counter-terrorism

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his policy is on achieving parity of approach from law enforcement and the security services between domestic extremism and international counter-terrorism.

Mr Ben Wallace: The UK’s updated strategy for countering terrorism, CONTEST, was launched on June 4th this year. We have been clear that it is a strategy for countering all forms of terrorism. The strategy reflects the findings of a fundamental review of all aspects of counter-terrorism, and includes lessons from the attacks in London and Manchester in 2017, to ensure we have the best response to the heightened threat in coming years.One of those reviews, the joint Counter-Terrorism Policing and MI5 Operational Improvement Review, which took place following the attacks last year, said that there should be equivalence of processes in analysing and dealing with all kinds of terrorism, irrespective of the ideology that inspires them. This included recommending an increased role for the intelligence services on, in particular, work to counter extreme right-wing terrorism. The recommendations in the review were summarised in Lord Anderson’s assurance report which was published in December 2017. Work has been ongoing since then to implement the review recommendations. Lord Anderson has agreed to provide the Home Secretary with a stocktake on the delivery of the recommendations early in 2019.The Operational Improvement Review recommended that the terminology we use should be specific to the particular terrorist threat, for example, extreme right-wing terrorism or Daesh-inspired terrorism. This recommendation was applied in the writing of CONTEST.

Young People: Crime Prevention

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what specific projects his Department is leading on to divert young people from becoming involved in serious and organised crime.

Mr Ben Wallace: Since 2013 the Home Office has provided funding to a number of innovative local projects across the country. These projects are aimed at different groups with different risk factors making them vulnerable to being drawn into SOC. During that time, our interventions have reached hundreds of young people. We have funded four local intervention projects this year:Ceredigion Youth Justice will target young people in the area who are at medium- or high-risk of being exploited by SOC-related individuals.Leap Confronting Conflict will support young people identified as being at risk of involvement in serious and organised crime within the Borough of Southwark, specifically those at risk of grooming for involvement in running county lines.Exeter Council for Voluntary Services, will proactively engage young people in the area who are at risk of exploitation or SOC offending.Northumbria Police are working with individuals at risk of being drawn into SOC.We are also investing in pilot local community coordinators, to build community resilience and deliver targeted interventions in five locations in the UK; Bradford, Brighton, Newport, Sedgemoor and Speke/Halton. These interventions are designed and delivered locally and several projects are in development.In addition, existing programmes are also helping to deliver SOC Prevent interventions. This includes the Troubled Families Programme, the Trusted Relationships fund and the Early Intervention Youth Fund, which collectively reach thousands of young people in the UK.

Organised Crime

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, published on 1 November 2018, whether he plans to publish the key performance indicators for that strategy.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Government included in the published Serious and Organised Crime Strategy (CM9718) a series of success measures relating to the four overarching objectives that will be used to assess the impact of the new strategy (see pages 37, 47, 51, 57, 60 and 61).The success measures will draw on information that is published routinely within, for example, the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) National Strategic Assessment of Serious and Organised Crime, HMICFRS PEEL effectiveness assessments of police forces in England and Wales, and the annual departmental reports for the Home Office and for the NCA.

Regional Organised Crime Units

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many disruptions as a result of ROCU operations were achieved in each year from their inception to date.

Mr Ben Wallace: As stated in the Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, the Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) play a vital role in UK law enforcement’s response to serious and organised crime. They are the principal link between the National Crime Agency (NCA) and police forces in England and Wales. They also provide their forces with access to specialist capabilities to tackle complex and high-harm serious and organised crime.The Government has been working with the NCA and partners across law enforcement to deliver accurate and consistent disruptions based reporting on their collective effect against serious and organised crime. This culminated in the production of NCA minimum standards for assessing and reporting disruptions against serious and organised crime earlier this year. Using these standards we are now better able to understand performance across all parts of the system. In 2017/18, ROCU operations led to 2,052 recorded disruptions in 2017/18, while their support to partners contributed to more than 2,675 further disruptions.Going forward, the Government included in the published Serious and Organised Crime Strategy (CM9718) a series of success measures relating to the four overarching objectives that will be used to assess the impact of the new strategy (see pages 37, 47, 51, 57, 60 and 61). The success measures will draw on information that is published routinely within, for example, the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) National Strategic Assessment of Serious and Organised Crime, HMICFRS PEEL effectiveness assessments of police forces in England and Wales, and the annual departmental reports for the Home Office and for the NCA

Immigration: Biometrics

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many biometric residence permits have been issued in the last three months; and what the average time taken has been for issuing such permits in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Caroline Nokes: The data required to answer the first part of the question is not recorded in a way that can be reported on accurately. As well as biometric residence permits (BRPs) issued following a grant of leave to enter or remain, the total number of cards issued by the Home Office includes replacements for lost or stolen BRPs, biometric residence cards for the dependents of EEA nationals, asylum application registration cards and BRPs reissued to correct customer reported errors.Information regarding processing times for immigration leave applications is available through the transparency data published on GOV.UK. The latest data available is for August 2018: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-august-2018

Immigration: Biometrics

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018 to Question 176098, how his Department plans to contact people with existing leave to remain in the UK on applying for a biometric residence permit.

Caroline Nokes: Individuals with indefinite leave to remain who hold legacy immigration documents can access information on GOV.UK on how to upgrade to a biometric residence permit.

Wiltshire Police: Finance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2018 to Question 176435, whether support for funding will include costs incurred as a result of requests for mutual aid following the Salisbury incident and its aftermath.

Mr Nick Hurd: I can confirm that the Special Grant funding provided to the Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner, in relation to the Salisbury and Amesbury incidents, covers mutual aid supplied by other forces.

Passports: Lost Property

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passports issued by his Department were reported lost in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The number of reports of a lost UK passport received by Her Majesty’s Passport Office in 2017 and 2018 are shown in the table below.2017 365,4222018 (end of September) 307,345

Department for Exiting the European Union

Computer Software: EU Law

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the effect of exiting the EU without a deal on UK sellers of pre-owned software under the terms of the EU Directive on the Legal Protection of Computer Programs; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government is seeking to provide continuity and certainty as the UK leaves the EU. To this end, we have introduced the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 to ensure that UK law continues to work after the UK leaves the EU, whatever the outcome of negotiations. It does this by transferring EU law into UK law, preserving the effect of existing law where possible and appropriate.The Directive on the Legal Protection of Computer Programs, including its provisions on the resale of software, has already been implemented into UK law and will therefore be retained in UK law after the UK leaves the EU, subject to any amendments necessary to ensure it functions appropriately once the UK has withdrawn from the EU.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Northern Ireland

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to his Answer of 23 October 2018 to Question 177805, whether each visit to Northern Ireland by a Minister of his Department since its creation involved (a) a visit to the Irish border and (b) discussions with communities living along that border; and if he will publish the full itinerary of each visit to Northern Ireland by a Minister of his Department since its creation.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Secretary of State visited the border on 2 November recognising the importance of protecting the communities on both sides. The former Secretary of State visited Northern Ireland, including the border earlier this year and the Parliamentary Under Secretary Robin Walker visited in October as part of a wider programme of engagement carried out by Government ministers and officials.I have been receiving regular updates from officials on the progress of the border issue and remain committed to agreeing a mutually advantageous deal with the EU. It is a key part of these negotiations that we deliver for the people of Northern Ireland.

Trade Agreements

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the effect of increasing the transition period after the UK leaves the EU on the UK's ability to negotiate preferential trade agreements with third countries.

Chris Heaton-Harris: As the Prime Minister has made clear, we expect the implementation period to end, as planned, in December 2020.The idea to create an option - and it would only be an option - to extend the implementation period for a matter of months would simply provide an "insurance policy" in the extremely unlikely event that no agreement on our future partnership is agreed by December 2020.It should be noted that during this period we will be free to negotiate, sign and ratify new trade agreements with third countries.

Trade Agreements

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many international treaties with third parties the UK is party to as a result of its membership of the EU; and how many of those treaties the UK plans to replicate after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The EU Treaties Office Database lists Treaties relating to our EU membership: http://ec.europa.eu/world/agreements/default.home.do.Not all of these require action as the UK leaves the EU. We are seeking to replicate the effects of our international treaties, as far as possible and where relevant, and we are engaging closely with third parties to deliver this continuity as we leave the EU.

Trade Agreements

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many international treaties with third countries the UK is party to as a result of the UK's membership of the EU; and how many of those treaties the Government plans to (a) alter and (b) renegotiate after the UK has left the EU.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The EU Treaties Office Database lists Treaties relating to our EU membership: http://ec.europa.eu/world/agreements/default.home.do.Not all of these require action as the UK leaves the EU. We are seeking to replicate the effects of our international treaties, as far as possible and where relevant, and we are engaging closely with third parties to deliver this continuity as we leave the EU.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have had with Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the past twelve months on cross border security arrangements after 29 March 2019.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Secretary of State for Exiting the EU met with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on 2 November, and was accompanied by the Deputy Chief Constable on a visit to the border. The former Secretary of State also met with the former Assistant Chief Constable with the Police Service of NI, who accompanied him on a tour of the border, to see first hand the concerns of citizens and businesses relating to the border.I have been receiving regular updates from officials on the progress of the border issue and remain committed to agreeing a mutually advantageous deal with the EU. It is a key part of these negotiations that we deliver for the people of Northern Ireland.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Brexit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees relating to the UK leaving the EU since July 2016.

Suella Braverman: The department spent a total of £3,377,000 in the period to 31 March 2018 on consultancy fees, as published in the audited Departmental Annual Report and Accounts. Expenditure recorded on departmental financial systems for the current financial year totals £728,000. The final audited expenditure will be published in the relevant Annual Report and Accounts in due course.

EU Countries: British Nationals Abroad

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, when UK citizens living in the EU will have certainty about their rights after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Citizens’ rights has been our first priority since the very beginning of this process.In December 2017, we reached a fair and reciprocal agreement with the EU on the rights of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU, and this is set out in the draft Withdrawal Agreement. The agreement confirms that any UK national resident in the EU by December 2020 will be able to stay in their Member State of residence and will provide citizens more certainty about healthcare, pensions and other benefits.While the Government is preparing for a range of scenarios, including the unlikely event that we reach March 2019 without agreeing a deal, the Prime Minister stated to EU citizens on 21 September “I want to be clear with you that even in the event of no deal your rights will be protected. You are our friends, our neighbours, our colleagues. We want you to stay.”We welcome the reassurances from a number of Member States that they will protect the interests of UK nationals living in their Member States in the unlikely event of a ‘no deal’ scenario and are urging the remaining Member States counterparts to do the same.

EU Countries: British Nationals Abroad

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether UK citizens living in the EU will have their rights guaranteed in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Mr Robin Walker: Citizens’ rights has been our first priority since the very beginning of this process.While the Government is preparing for a range of scenarios, including the unlikely event that we reach March 2019 without agreeing a deal, the Prime Minister stated to EU citizens on 21 September “I want to be clear with you that even in the event of no deal your rights will be protected. You are our friends, our neighbours, our colleagues. We want you to stay.”We welcome the reassurances from a number of Member States that they will protect the interests of UK nationals living in their Member States in the unlikely event of a ‘no deal’ scenario and are urging the remaining Member States counterparts to do the same.We also will ensure all relevant information is available to UK nationals overseas in the most transparent and accessible way.

Borders: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has to visit the land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland before Christmas 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: The Secretary of State visited the border on 2 November recognising the importance of protecting the communities on both sides. The former Secretary of State visited Northern Ireland twice this year and I visited in October for meetings with civil society and human rights bodies as part of a wider programme of engagement carried out by Government ministers and officials.We remain committed to agreeing a mutually advantageous deal with the EU. It is a key part of these negotiations that we deliver for the people of Northern Ireland and deliver on all our commitments in the joint report including with regard to North/South cooperation, the Belfast Agreement and the integrity of the Single Market

Treasury

Brexit

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 139 of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s report entitled Economic and Fiscal Outlook October 2018, published in October 2018, CM9713, what proportion of the £1.5 billion allocated to the Brexit funding pot will be spent in 2018-19.

Elizabeth Truss: On 13 March, the Treasury allocated c.£1.6bn to departments on March 2018. A full breakdown of the allocation can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/. Details of some of the work done by departments funded by these allocations can be found in the Technical Notices published on 24 August (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-governments-preparations-for-a-no-deal-scenario/uk-governments-preparations-for-a-no-deal-scenario). The independent Office for Budget Responsibility as part of their fiscal forecast take a judgement on how much departments will underspend on all aspects of DEL spending. This information is available at https://cdn.obr.uk/EFO_October-2018.pdf.

LIBOR

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list the recipients of LIBOR funding since the inception of the grant scheme in 2012 by (a) country of the UK and (b) sector.

Elizabeth Truss: Details of LIBOR funding can be found at the following links: GOV.UK LIBOR Webpageshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/libor-funding-applications/libor-grants-2017 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/libor-funding-applications https://www.gov.uk/government/news/banking-fines-to-fund-armed-forces-charity-projects https://www.gov.uk/government/news/libor-fines-to-fund-armed-forces-charity-projects https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bank-fines-to-be-used-to-support-britains-armed-forces-community https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-armed-forces-charities-to-benefit-from-banking-fines https://www.gov.uk/government/news/100-million-bank-fines-allocated-by-government-to-good-causes

Regeneration: Belfast

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the £2 million allocated in Budget 2018 for the city centre in Belfast following the fire at Bank Buildings in August 2018 will be distributed.

Elizabeth Truss: Funding will be added to the Northern Ireland block grant. It will then be allocated to Belfast City Council according to the Northern Ireland Civil Service’s own processes.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Budget 2018 paragraph 5.10 on mental health funding, what estimate he has made of the savings that will accrue to the public purse as a result of pressure being taken off (a) accident and emergency, (b) police, (c) probation and (d) social services by 2023-24.

Elizabeth Truss: The government is committed to ensuring that high quality mental health support is available for those that need it, in appropriate, safe settings. Investing in the quality and integration of mental health services will reduce pressure on the NHS and other public services. As announced at Autumn Budget 2018, funding for mental health services will grow as a share of the overall NHS budget over the next five years. Further detail will be set out in the NHS long-term plan in due course.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department takes to incorporate big society or civic society considerations into its policy formulation process.

Mims Davies: We published the Civil Society Strategy in August 2018. This sets out government's vision for how it will work with and for civil society to address social challenges and create a fairer society for all. In creating the Strategy we engaged widely with central government departments and it includes statements from ten government ministers. At a departmental level my officials work closely with civil society stakeholders when developing policy, and will continue to work with them in delivering the strategy.

Northern Ireland Office

Exports: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of exports from Great Britain to Northern Ireland of (a) live animals, (b) animal-derived food products and (c) plant-based products are subject to (i) controls and (ii) physical inspection.

Karen Bradley: The Northern Ireland Office does not hold this information.